Multicast/broadcast single frequency network control information transmission

ABSTRACT

A method for providing control information for a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) in network access equipment is provided. The method includes separating a multicast control channel of an MBMS transmission into a first portion and a second portion, placing in the first portion information related to the second portion, and placing in the second portion information related to receiving a multicast traffic channel portion of the MBMS transmission.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/970,106, filed Sep. 15, 2007, by Zhijun Cai, entitled“MBSFN Control Information Transmission” which is incorporated byreference herein as if reproduced in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In traditional wireless telecommunications systems, transmissionequipment in a base station transmits signals throughout a geographicalregion known as a cell. As technology has evolved, more advanced networkaccess equipment has been introduced that can provide services that werenot possible previously. This advanced access network equipment mightinclude, for example, an enhanced node B (ENB) rather than a basestation or other systems and devices that are more highly evolved thanthe equivalent equipment in a traditional wireless telecommunicationssystem. Such advanced or next generation equipment may be referred toherein as long-term evolution (LTE) equipment. For LTE equipment, theregion in which a wireless device can gain access to atelecommunications network might be referred to by a name other than“cell”, such as “hot spot”. As used herein, the term “cell” will be usedto refer to any region in which a wireless device can gain access to atelecommunications network, regardless of whether the wireless device isa traditional cellular device, an LTE device, or some other device.

Devices that might be used by users in a telecommunications network caninclude both mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones, personaldigital assistants, handheld computers, portable computers, laptopcomputers, tablet computers and similar devices, and fixed terminalssuch as residential gateways, televisions, set-top boxes and the like.Such devices will be referred to herein as user equipment or UE.

A group of LTE-based cells might be under the control of a single entityknown as a central control. The central control typically manages andcoordinates certain activities with a group of cells such as thescheduling of transmissions and the control of a modulation and codingscheme for the cells. The modulation and coding schemes might includebinary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK),quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), or other schemes that will befamiliar to one of skill in the art.

Services that might be provided by LTE-based equipment can includebroadcasts or multicasts of television programs, streaming video,streaming audio, and other multimedia content. Such services arecommonly referred to as multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS).An MBMS might be transmitted throughout a single cell or throughoutseveral contiguous or overlapping cells. A set of cells receiving anMBMS can be referred to as a service area. A service area and a regionunder the control of a central control do not necessarily coincide. Forexample, a central control might specify that a first subset of cellsunder its control will deliver a first MBMS and that a second subset ofcells under its control will deliver a second MBMS.

When multiple cells overlap, a UE within the overlapped region canreceive transmissions from multiple ENBs. It is well known in the artthat when a UE receives substantially identical data from a plurality ofENBs, the transmissions from the ENBs can augment one another to providea signal of significantly higher quality than would be the case if onlyone ENB were transmitting the signal. That is, a higher signal-to-noiseratio can be achieved when substantially the same data is transmitted atsubstantially the same time on substantially the same resource withsubstantially the same modulation and coding. A region in which aplurality of substantially identical signals are present is known as asingle frequency network, or SFN. In the case where all of the ENBs in aservice area are transmitting an MBMS with substantially identicalsignals, the service area can be referred to a multicast/broadcast SFN(MBSFN).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a cellular network according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a cell in a cellular network according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 a is a diagram of a structure for multicast control informationoperable for some of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 b is a diagram of an alternative perspective of the structure ofFIG. 3 a operable for some of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 a is a diagram of an alternative structure for multicast controlinformation operable for some of the various embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 b is a diagram of an alternative perspective of the structure ofFIG. 4 a operable for some of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a method for providing control information for amultimedia broadcast multicast service according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a wireless communications system including userequipment operable for some of the various embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of user equipment operable for some of thevarious embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a software environment that may be implemented onuser equipment operable for some of the various embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative general purpose computer system suitable forsome of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure areprovided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implementedusing any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence.The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, includingthe exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and describedherein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claimsalong with their full scope of equivalents.

In an embodiment, a method is provided for providing control informationfor a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) in network accessequipment. The method includes separating a multicast control channel ofan MBMS transmission into a first portion and a second portion, placingin the first portion information related to the second portion, andplacing in the second portion information related to receiving amulticast traffic channel portion of the MBMS transmission.

In another embodiment, a user equipment is provided that includes one ormore processors. The processors are configured to promote receiving amulticast control channel (MCCH) of a multimedia broadcast multicastservice (MBMS) transmission. The MCCH comprises a first portion and asecond portion. The first portion includes information related to thesecond portion. The second portion includes information related toreceiving a multicast traffic channel portion of the MBMS transmission.

In another embodiment, a network access equipment in a wirelesstelecommunications network for transmitting a multimedia broadcastmulticast service (MBMS) is provided. The system includes one or moreprocessors configured to promote transmission of a multicast controlchannel (MCCH) associated with a transmission of the MBMS. The MCCHcomprises a first portion and a second portion. The first portionincludes information related to retrieving information in the secondportion. The second portion includes information related to receiving amulticast traffic channel portion of the MBMS transmission.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary cellular network 100 according to anembodiment of the disclosure. The cellular network 100 may include aplurality of cells 102 ₁, 102 ₂, 102 ₃, 102 ₄, 102 ₅, 102 ₆, 102 ₇, 102₈, 102 ₉, 102 ₁₀, 102 ₁₁, 102 ₁₂, 102 ₁₃, and 102 ₁₄ (collectivelyreferred to as cells 102). As is apparent to persons of ordinary skillin the art, each of the cells 102 represents a coverage area forproviding cellular services of the cellular network 100. While the cells102 are depicted as having non-overlapping coverage areas, persons ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the cells102 may have partially overlapping coverage with adjacent cells.Further, while a particular number of the cells 102 are depicted,persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a larger orsmaller number of the cells 102 may be included in the cellular network100.

One or more UEs 10 may be present in each of the cells 102. Althoughonly one UE 10 is depicted and is shown in only one cell 102 ₁₂, it willbe apparent to one of skill in the art that a plurality of UEs 10 mightbe present in each of the cells 102. An ENB 20 in each of the cells 102performs functions similar to those of a traditional base station. Thatis, the ENBs 20 provide a radio link between the UEs 10 and othercomponents in a telecommunications network. While the ENB 20 is shownonly in cell 102 ₁₂, it should be understood that an ENB would bepresent in each of the cells 102. Also, radio links other than the ENBs20 could be used. A central control 110 oversees the wireless datatransmissions within the cells 102 by providing centralized managementand coordination for the cells 102 and their corresponding ENBs 20.

In the present disclosure, the cellular systems or cells 102 aredescribed as engaged in certain activities, such as transmittingsignals; however, as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art,these activities would in fact be conducted by components comprising thecells. As an example, FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed view of the cell102 ₁₂. The ENB 20 in cell 102 ₁₂ can promote communication via atransmitter 27, a receiver 29, and/or other well known equipment.Similar equipment might be present in the other cells 102. A pluralityof UEs 10 are present in the cell 102 ₁₂, as might be the case in theother cells 102.

The transmission of an MBMS in one or more of the cells 102 can includetwo components, a multicast control channel (MCCH) and a multicasttraffic channel (MTCH). The MTCH delivers the actual content of the MBMSwhile the MCCH delivers control information related to the MBMS. TheMCCH might include key control information that specifies how thecontent in the MTCH is to be delivered. Configuration information forthe MCCH might be transmitted in a broadcast control channel (BCCH).Each of the cells 102 might transmit information over a BCCH to providethe UEs 10 with information about the MBMSs available in the cells 102and with other information. When one of the UEs 10 powers up, it canreceive the BCCH, read the MCCH configuration contained in the BCCH, anddetermine from the MCCH control information how to receive one or moreMTCHs.

In an embodiment, the MCCH control information is divided into twoportions: master control information and service control information.The master control information can also be referred to as primary MCCH(P-MCCH) information and the service control information can also bereferred to as secondary MCCH (S-MCCH) information. The S-MCCHinformation can include information about how an MTCH can be received.The P-MCCH information can directly include the S-MCCH information orcan include a pointer to a location where the S-MCCH information can beretrieved.

In an embodiment, the S-MCCH information includes control informationfor one or more MTCH transmissions. This might include schedulinginformation for one or more MTCHs, modulation and coding information forone or more MTCHs, and SFN-related parameters such as a blocked celllist. Since multiple MTCHs might be transmitted by a single ENB 20, anda different set of S-MCCH information might be needed for each MTCH,multiple sets of S-MCCH information might be associated with the BCCHtransmitted by the single ENB 20. A single set of P-MCCH informationmight be associated with the multiple sets of S-MCCH information.

In various embodiments, the P-MCCH information contains or points toscheduling information for the S-MCCH information. That is, the P-MCCHinformation specifies when and where the S-MCCH information isavailable. The UEs 10 can then use the scheduling information in theS-MCCH information to receive one or more MTCHs. The P-MCCH informationmay also contain service advertisement information, session startinformation, and modulation and coding information for the S-MCCHinformation. Service advertisement information might refer to whichMBMSs are available within an MBSFN and to similar information. Sessionstart information might refer to the counting information for MBMStransmissions and to similar information.

In the embodiments where multiple MTCHs are transmitted by a single ENB20, the P-MCCH information can point to scheduling information for eachof the sets of S-MCCH information associated with each of the MTCHs.That is, the sets of S-MCCH information that specify how the MTCHs canbe received might reside in various locations and/or resources in thedownlink transmissions, and the P-MCCH information can include pointersto these locations and/or resources. One of the UEs 10 that wishes toreceive a particular MBMS can read the P-MCCH information, find thepointer for the desired MBMS, go to the location and/or resourcesreferred to by the pointer, retrieve the S-MCCH information at thatlocation, and use the S-MCCH information to receive the MBMS. Thepointer can remain the same even when the S-MCCH information that itpoints to changes.

FIG. 3 a illustrates such a structure 310 a for transmitting MCCHcontrol information. A BCCH 312 points to a set of P-MCCH information314. The P-MCCH information 314 contains pointers to the locations wherea plurality of sets of S-MCCH information 316 can be found. Each set ofS-MCCH information 316 contains service information for a differentMTCH, each of which is associated with a different MBMS.

FIG. 3 b illustrates an alternative perspective of these embodiments. Inthis structure 310 b for transmitting MCCH control information, the BCCH312 can be viewed as containing, rather than pointing to, the P-MCCHinformation 314. As described above, the P-MCCH information 314 mightthen contain pointers to the locations where the plurality of sets ofS-MCCH information 316 can be found. The structures 310 a and 310 bshould be considered equivalent. They are depicted differently heremerely to illustrate two different viewpoints from which the P-MCCHinformation 314 and the sets of S-MCCH information 316 can be conceived.

In alternative embodiments, only a single set of S-MCCH information 316might be used. For example, if only a single MBMS is being transmittedby an ENB 20, only a single set of S-MCCH information 316 would betransmitted by that ENB 20. In such cases, pointers would not be neededand the S-MCCH information 316 could be carried directly within theP-MCCH information 314 or BCCH 312. One of the UEs 10 that wishes toreceive the single MBMS can read the S-MCCH information 316 for the MBMSdirectly from the P-MCCH information 314 rather than being directed toS-MCCH information 316 by a pointer. The UE 10 can then use the S-MCCHinformation 316 retrieved in this manner to receive the MBMS.

FIG. 4 a illustrates such a structure 320 a for transmitting MCCHcontrol information. The BCCH 312 points to the set of P-MCCHinformation 314, which includes within itself the single set of S-MCCHinformation 316. FIG. 4 b illustrates an alternative perspective of theembodiment of FIG. 4 a. In this structure 320 b, as in that of FIG. 3 b,the BCCH 312 can be viewed as containing, rather than pointing to, theP-MCCH information 314. As in FIG. 4 a, the P-MCCH information 314 mightthen contain within itself the single set of S-MCCH information 316. Aswith the structures 310 a and 310 b of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, the structures320 a and 320 b of FIGS. 4 a and 4 b should be considered equivalent.They are depicted differently here to illustrate two complementaryviewpoints of the P-MCCH information 314 and the S-MCCH information 316.

It may be desirable that the BCCH 312 change as little as possible eachtime it is transmitted. The embodiments described above can promote theBCCH 312 for any particular MBSFN remaining relatively consistent overtime. For example, in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, the BCCH 312can include the P-MCCH information 314 directly or can include a pointerto the P-MCCH information 314. The P-MCCH information 314 can theninclude pointers to one or more sets of S-MCCH information 316. Thepointers to the S-MCCH information 316 need not change even if theS-MCCH information 316 itself does change. This can promote consistencyin the BCCH signals transmitted at different times.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, only one set of S-MCCHinformation 316 is used. In these cases, pointers from the P-MCCHinformation 314 to the S-MCCH information 316 are not needed, and theS-MCCH information 316 can be merged directly into the P-MCCHinformation 314. The BCCH 312 can include the P-MCCH information 314directly or can include a pointer to the P-MCCH information 314. Ineither case, changes in the BCCH 312 may not be needed, even when theP-MCCH information 314 and/or the S-MCCH information 316 does change.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 200 for providing control information for anMBMS. In block 210, the MCCH for an MBMS transmission is separated intoa first portion and a second portion. In block 220, information relatedto the second portion is placed in the first portion. The first portionmight directly contain the second portion or might contain a pointer tothe location of the second portion. The first portion might also includeservice advertisement information for the MBMS, session startinformation for the MBMS, and/or modulation and coding information forthe information in the second portion. In block 230, information relatedto receiving one or more MTCHs associated with the MBMS transmission isplaced in the second portion. The information related to receiving theMTCHs might include scheduling information for the MTCHs, modulation andcoding information for the MTCHs, and/or a blocked cell list.

FIG. 6 illustrates a wireless communications system including anembodiment of the UE 10. The UE 10 is operable for implementing aspectsof the disclosure, but the disclosure should not be limited to theseimplementations. Though illustrated as a mobile phone, the UE 10 maytake various forms including a wireless handset, a pager, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a tablet computer, or alaptop computer. Many suitable devices combine some or all of thesefunctions. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the UE 10 is not ageneral purpose computing device like a portable, laptop or tabletcomputer, but rather is a special-purpose communications device such asa mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a PDA, or atelecommunications device installed in a vehicle. In another embodiment,the UE 10 may be a portable, laptop or other computing device. The UE 10may support specialized activities such as gaming, inventory control,job control, and/or task management functions, and so on.

The UE 10 includes a display 402. The UE 10 also includes atouch-sensitive surface, a keyboard or other input keys generallyreferred as 404 for input by a user. The keyboard may be a full orreduced alphanumeric keyboard such as QWERTY, Dvorak, AZERTY, andsequential types, or a traditional numeric keypad with alphabet lettersassociated with a telephone keypad. The input keys may include atrackwheel, an exit or escape key, a trackball, and other navigationalor functional keys, which may be inwardly depressed to provide furtherinput function. The UE 10 may present options for the user to select,controls for the user to actuate, and/or cursors or other indicators forthe user to direct.

The UE 10 may further accept data entry from the user, including numbersto dial or various parameter values for configuring the operation of theUE 10. The UE 10 may further execute one or more software or firmwareapplications in response to user commands. These applications mayconfigure the UE 10 to perform various customized functions in responseto user interaction. Additionally, the UE 10 may be programmed and/orconfigured over-the-air, for example from a wireless base station, awireless access point, or a peer UE 10.

Among the various applications executable by the UE 10 are a webbrowser, which enables the display 402 to show a web page. The web pagemay be obtained via wireless communications with a wireless networkaccess node, a cell tower, a peer UE 10, or any other wirelesscommunication network or system 400. The network 400 is coupled to awired network 408, such as the Internet. Via the wireless link and thewired network, the UE 10 has access to information on various servers,such as a server 410. The server 410 may provide content that may beshown on the display 402. Alternately, the UE 10 may access the network400 through a peer UE 10 acting as an intermediary, in a relay type orhop type of connection.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the UE 10. While a variety of knowncomponents of UEs 10 are depicted, in an embodiment a subset of thelisted components and/or additional components not listed may beincluded in the UE 10. The UE 10 includes a digital signal processor(DSP) 502 and a memory 504. As shown, the UE 10 may further include anantenna and front end unit 506, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 508,an analog baseband processing unit 510, a microphone 512, an earpiecespeaker 514, a headset port 516, an input/output interface 518, aremovable memory card 520, a universal serial bus (USB) port 522, ashort range wireless communication sub-system 524, an alert 526, akeypad 528, a liquid crystal display (LCD), which may include a touchsensitive embodiment, the UE 10 may include another kind of display thatdoes not provide a touch sensitive screen. In an embodiment, the DSP 502may communicate directly with the memory 504 without passing through theinput/output interface 518.

The DSP 502 or some other form of controller or central processing unitoperates to control the various components of the UE 10 in accordancewith embedded software or firmware stored in memory 504 or stored inmemory contained within the DSP 502 itself. In addition to the embeddedsoftware or firmware, the DSP 502 may execute other applications storedin the memory 504 or made available via information carrier media suchas portable data storage media like the removable memory card 520 or viawired or wireless network communications. The application software maycomprise a compiled set of machine-readable instructions that configurethe DSP 502 to provide the desired functionality, or the applicationsoftware may be high-level software instructions to be processed by aninterpreter or compiler to indirectly configure the DSP 502.

The antenna and front end unit 506 may be provided to convert betweenwireless signals and electrical signals, enabling the UE 10 to send andreceive information from a cellular network or some other availablewireless communications network or from a peer UE 10. In an embodiment,the antenna and front end unit 506 may include multiple antennas tosupport beam forming and/or multiple input multiple output (MIMO)operations. As is known to those skilled in the art, MIMO operations mayprovide spatial diversity which can be used to overcome difficultchannel conditions and/or increase channel throughput. The antenna andfront end unit 506 may include antenna tuning and/or impedance matchingcomponents, RF power amplifiers, and/or low noise amplifiers.

The RF transceiver 508 provides frequency shifting, converting receivedRF signals to baseband and converting baseband transmit signals to RF.In some descriptions a radio transceiver or RF transceiver may beunderstood to include other signal processing functionality such asmodulation/demodulation, coding/decoding, interleaving/deinterleaving,spreading/despreading, inverse fast Fourier transforming (IFFT)/fastFourier transforming (FFT), cyclic prefix appending/removal, and othersignal processing functions. For the purposes of clarity, thedescription here separates the description of this signal processingfrom the RF and/or radio stage and conceptually allocates that signalprocessing to the analog baseband processing unit 510 and/or the DSP 502or other central processing unit. In some embodiments, the RFTransceiver 508, portions of the Antenna and Front End 506, and theanalog baseband processing unit 510 may be combined in one or moreprocessing units and/or application specific integrated circuits(ASICs).

The analog baseband processing unit 510 may provide various analogprocessing of inputs and outputs, for example analog processing ofinputs from the microphone 512 and the headset 516 and outputs to theearpiece 514 and the headset 516. To that end, the analog basebandprocessing unit 510 may have ports for connecting to the built-inmicrophone 512 and the earpiece speaker 514 that enable the UE 10 to beused as a cell phone. The analog baseband processing unit 510 mayfurther include a port for connecting to a headset or other hands-freemicrophone and speaker configuration. The analog baseband processingunit 510 may provide digital-to-analog conversion in one signaldirection and analog-to-digital conversion in the opposing signaldirection. In some embodiments, at least some of the functionality ofthe analog baseband processing unit 510 may be provided by digitalprocessing components, for example by the DSP 502 or by other centralprocessing units.

The DSP 502 may perform modulation/demodulation, coding/decoding,interleaving/deinterleaving, spreading/despreading, inverse fast Fouriertransforming (IFFT)/fast Fourier transforming (FFT), cyclic prefixappending/removal, and other signal processing functions associated withwireless communications. In an embodiment, for example in a codedivision multiple access (CDMA) technology application, for atransmitter function the DSP 502 may perform modulation, coding,interleaving, and spreading, and for a receiver function the DSP 502 mayperform despreading, deinterleaving, decoding, and demodulation. Inanother embodiment, for example in an orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplex access (OFDMA) technology application, for the transmitterfunction the DSP 502 may perform modulation, coding, interleaving,inverse fast Fourier transforming, and cyclic prefix appending, and fora receiver function the DSP 502 may perform cyclic prefix removal, fastFourier transforming, deinterleaving, decoding, and demodulation. Inother wireless technology applications, yet other signal processingfunctions and combinations of signal processing functions may beperformed by the DSP 502.

The DSP 502 may communicate with a wireless network via the analogbaseband processing unit 510. In some embodiments, the communication mayprovide Internet connectivity, enabling a user to gain access to contenton the Internet and to send and receive e-mail or text messages. Theinput/output interface 518 interconnects the DSP 502 and variousmemories and interfaces. The memory 504 and the removable memory card520 may provide software and data to configure the operation of the DSP502. Among the interfaces may be the USB interface 522 and the shortrange wireless communication sub-system 524. The USB interface 522 maybe used to charge the UE 10 and may also enable the UE 10 to function asa peripheral device to exchange information with a personal computer orother computer system. The short range wireless communication sub-system524 may include an infrared port, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE 802.11compliant wireless interface, or any other short range wirelesscommunication sub-system, which may enable the UE 10 to communicatewirelessly with other nearby mobile devices and/or wireless basestations.

The input/output interface 518 may further connect the DSP 502 to thealert 526 that, when triggered, causes the UE 10 to provide a notice tothe user, for example, by ringing, playing a melody, or vibrating. Thealert 526 may serve as a mechanism for alerting the user to any ofvarious events such as an incoming call, a new text message, and anappointment reminder by silently vibrating, or by playing a specificpre-assigned melody for a particular caller.

The keypad 528 couples to the DSP 502 via the interface 518 to provideone mechanism for the user to make selections, enter information, andotherwise provide input to the UE 10. The keyboard 528 may be a full orreduced alphanumeric keyboard such as QWERTY, Dvorak, AZERTY andsequential types, or a traditional numeric keypad with alphabet lettersassociated with a telephone keypad. The input keys may include atrackwheel, an exit or escape key, a trackball, and other navigationalor functional keys, which may be inwardly depressed to provide furtherinput function. Another input mechanism may be the LCD 530, which mayinclude touch screen capability and also display text and/or graphics tothe user. The LCD controller 532 couples the DSP 502 to the LCD 530.

The CCD camera 534, if equipped, enables the UE 10 to take digitalpictures. The DSP 502 communicates with the CCD camera 534 via thecamera controller 536. In another embodiment, a camera operatingaccording to a technology other than Charge Coupled Device cameras maybe employed. The GPS sensor 538 is coupled to the DSP 502 to decodeglobal positioning system signals, thereby enabling the UE 10 todetermine its position. Various other peripherals may also be includedto provide additional functions, e.g., radio and television reception.

FIG. 8 illustrates a software environment 602 that may be implemented bythe DSP 502. The DSP 502 executes operating system drivers 604 thatprovide a platform from which the rest of the software operates. Theoperating system drivers 604 provide drivers for the wireless devicehardware with standardized interfaces that are accessible to applicationsoftware. The operating system drivers 604 include applicationmanagement services (“AMS”) 606 that transfer control betweenapplications running on the UE 10. Also shown in FIG. 8 are a webbrowser application 608, a media player application 610, and Javaapplets 612. The web browser application 608 configures the UE 10 tooperate as a web browser, allowing a user to enter information intoforms and select links to retrieve and view web pages. The media playerapplication 610 configures the UE 10 to retrieve and play audio oraudiovisual media. The Java applets 612 configure the UE 10 to providegames, utilities, and other functionality. A component 614 might providefunctionality related to control information transmission.

The central control 110 and ENBs 20 of FIG. 1 and other components thatmight be associated with the cells 102 may include any general-purposecomputer with sufficient processing power, memory resources, and networkthroughput capability to handle the necessary workload placed upon it.FIG. 9 illustrates a typical, general-purpose computer system 700 thatmay be suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosedherein. The computer system 700 includes a processor 720 (which may bereferred to as a central processor unit or CPU) that is in communicationwith memory devices including secondary storage 750, read only memory(ROM) 740, random access memory (RAM) 730, input/output (I/O) devices710, and network connectivity devices 760. The processor may beimplemented as one or more CPU chips.

The secondary storage 750 is typically comprised of one or more diskdrives or tape drives and is used for non-volatile storage of data andas an over-flow data storage device if RAM 730 is not large enough tohold all working data. Secondary storage 750 may be used to storeprograms which are loaded into RAM 730 when such programs are selectedfor execution. The ROM 740 is used to store instructions and perhapsdata which are read during program execution. ROM 740 is a non-volatilememory device which typically has a small memory capacity relative tothe larger memory capacity of secondary storage. The RAM 730 is used tostore volatile data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to bothROM 740 and RAM 730 is typically faster than to secondary storage 750.

I/O devices 710 may include printers, video monitors, liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches,dials, mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card readers, paper tapereaders, or other well-known input devices.

The network connectivity devices 760 may take the form of modems, modembanks, ethernet cards, universal serial bus (USB) interface cards,serial interfaces, token ring cards, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) cards, wireless local area network (WLAN) cards, radiotransceiver cards such as code division multiple access (CDMA) and/orglobal system for mobile communications (GSM) radio transceiver cards,and other well-known network devices. These network connectivity 760devices may enable the processor 720 to communicate with an Internet orone or more intranets. With such a network connection, it iscontemplated that the processor 720 might receive information from thenetwork, or might output information to the network in the course ofperforming the above-described method steps. Such information, which isoften represented as a sequence of instructions to be executed usingprocessor 720, may be received from and outputted to the network, forexample, in the form of a computer data signal embodied in a carrierwave.

Such information, which may include data or instructions to be executedusing processor 720 for example, may be received from and outputted tothe network, for example, in the form of a computer data baseband signalor signal embodied in a carrier wave. The baseband signal or signalembodied in the carrier wave generated by the network connectivity 760devices may propagate in or on the surface of electrical conductors, incoaxial cables, in waveguides, in optical media, for example opticalfiber, or in the air or free space. The information contained in thebaseband signal or signal embedded in the carrier wave may be orderedaccording to different sequences, as may be desirable for eitherprocessing or generating the information or transmitting or receivingthe information. The baseband signal or signal embedded in the carrierwave, or other types of signals currently used or hereafter developed,referred to herein as the transmission medium, may be generatedaccording to several methods well known to one skilled in the art.

The processor 720 executes instructions, codes, computer programs,scripts which it accesses from hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk(these various disk-based systems may all be considered secondarystorage 750), ROM 740, RAM 730, or the network connectivity devices 760.While only one processor 720 is shown, multiple processors may bepresent. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as executed by aprocessor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, orotherwise executed by one or multiple processors.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled orcommunicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicatingthrough some interface, device, or intermediate component, whetherelectrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes,substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in theart and could be made without departing from the spirit and scopedisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing control information for amultimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) in network accessequipment, comprising: separating a multicast control channel (MCCH) ofan MBMS transmission into a first portion and a second portion; placingin the first portion information related to the second portion, whereininformation in the first portion comprises modulation and codinginformation of the second portion; and placing in the second portioninformation related to receiving a multicast traffic channel (MTCH)portion of the MBMS transmission, wherein the information in the secondportion related to receiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmissionis at least one of: scheduling information for at least one MTCH portionof the MBMS transmission; or modulation and coding information for atleast one MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the information in the first portion related to the secondportion includes one of: information in the second portion related toreceiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission; and a pointer to alocation of the information in the second portion related to receivingthe MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the information in the first portion includes the pointer to theinformation in the second portion related to receiving the MTCH portionof the MBMS transmission when the MBMS is one of a plurality of MBMSsbeing transmitted in a particular single frequency network.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the information in the first portion includesa plurality of pointers to a plurality of sets of information in thesecond portion, each of the plurality of sets of information related toone of the plurality of MBMSs.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theinformation in the second portion related to receiving the MTCH portionof the MBMS transmission further comprises a blocked cell list.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the information in the first portion directlyincludes the information in the second portion related to receiving theMTCH portion of the MBMS transmission when the MBMS is the only MBMSbeing transmitted in a particular single frequency network.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the information in the first portion furthercomprises at least one of: service advertisement information for theMBMS; and session start information for the MBMS.
 8. A user equipment,comprising: one or more processors configured to promote receiving amulticast control channel (MCCH) of a multimedia broadcast multicastservice (MBMS) transmission, the MCCH comprising a first portion and asecond portion, the first portion including information related to thesecond portion, wherein information in the first portion comprisesmodulation and coding information of the second portion, and the secondportion including information related to receiving a multicast trafficchannel (MTCH) portion of the MBMS transmission, wherein the informationin the second portion related to receiving the MTCH portion of the MBMStransmission is at least one of: scheduling information for at least oneMTCH portion of the MBMS transmission; or modulation and codinginformation for at least one MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission. 9.The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the information in the firstportion related to the second portion further comprises at least one of:service advertisement information for the MBMS; and session startinformation for the MBMS.
 10. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein theinformation in the second portion related to receiving the MTCH portionof the MBMS transmission further comprises a blocked cell list.
 11. Theuser equipment of claim 8, wherein the information in the first portiondirectly includes the information in the second portion related toreceiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission when the MBMS is theonly MBMS being transmitted in a particular single frequency network inwhich the MBMS is being transmitted.
 12. The user equipment of claim 8,wherein the information in the first portion includes a pointer to theinformation in the second portion related to receiving the MTCH portionof the MBMS transmission when the MBMS is one of a plurality of MBMSsbeing transmitted in a particular single frequency network.
 13. The userequipment of claim 12, wherein the information in the first portionincludes a plurality of pointers to a plurality of sets of informationin the second portion, each of the plurality of sets of informationrelated to one of the plurality of MBMSs.
 14. A network access equipmentin a wireless telecommunications network for transmitting a multimediabroadcast multicast service (MBMS), comprising: one or more processorsconfigured to promote transmission of a multicast control channel (MCCH)associated with a transmission of the MBMS, the MCCH comprising a firstportion and a second portion, the first portion including informationrelated to retrieving information in the second portion, whereininformation in the first portion comprises modulation and codinginformation of the second portion, and the second portion includinginformation related to receiving a multicast traffic channel (MTCH)portion of the MBMS transmission, wherein the information in the secondportion related to receiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmissionis at least one of: scheduling information for at least one MTCH portionof the MBMS transmission; or modulation and coding information for atleast one MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission.
 15. The network accessequipment of claim 14, wherein the information in the first portiondirectly includes the information in the second portion related toreceiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission when the MBMS is theonly MBMS being transmitted in a particular single frequency network.16. The network access equipment of claim 14, wherein the information inthe first portion includes a pointer to the information in the secondportion related to receiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmissionwhen the MBMS is one of a plurality of MBMSs being transmitted in aparticular single frequency network.
 17. The network access equipment ofclaim 16, wherein the information in the first portion includes aplurality of pointers to a plurality of sets of information in thesecond portion, each of the plurality of sets of information related toone of the plurality of MBMSs.
 18. The network access equipment of claim14, wherein the information in the first portion further comprises atleast one of: service advertisement information for the MBMS; andsession start information for the MBMS.
 19. The network access equipmentof claim 14, wherein the information in the second portion related toreceiving the MTCH portion of the MBMS transmission further comprises ablocked cell list.
 20. The network access equipment of claim 14, whereinthe network access equipment is an enhanced node B.
 21. A method forproviding control information for a multimedia broadcast multicastservice (MBMS) in network access equipment, comprising: separating amulticast control channel (MCCH) of an MBMS transmission into a firstportion and a second portion; placing in the first portion informationrelated to the second portion, wherein information in the first portioncomprises modulation and coding information of the second portion,wherein the modulation and coding information is selected from the groupconsisting of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shiftkeying (QPSK), and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM); and placing inthe second portion information related to receiving a multicast trafficchannel (MTCH) portion of the MBMS transmission.
 22. A user equipment,comprising: one or more processors configured to promote receiving amulticast control channel (MCCH) of a multimedia broadcast multicastservice (MBMS) transmission, the MCCH comprising a first portion and asecond portion, the first portion including information related to thesecond portion, wherein information in the first portion comprisesmodulation and coding information of the second portion, wherein themodulation and coding information is selected from the group consistingof binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying(QPSK), and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and the secondportion including information related to receiving a multicast trafficchannel (MTCH) portion of the MBMS transmission.
 23. A network accessequipment in a wireless telecommunications network for transmitting amultimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), comprising: one or moreprocessors configured to promote transmission of a multicast controlchannel (MCCH) associated with a transmission of the MBMS, the MCCHcomprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portionincluding information related to retrieving information in the secondportion, wherein information in the first portion comprises modulationand coding information of the second portion, wherein the modulation andcoding information is selected from the group consisting of binaryphase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), andquadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and the second portion includinginformation related to receiving a multicast traffic channel (MTCH)portion of the MBMS transmission.